Log loading boom



Feb. 23, 1954 H, PEARSON 2,670,177

LOG LOADING BOOM Filed April 7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. H. R. PEfl/QSON Feb. 23, 1954 N 2,670,177

LOG LOADING BOOM Filed April 7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. H. R PEfiEJO/V Feb. 23, 1954 H. R. PEARSON LOG LOADING BOOM INVENTOR. .E. pE/IEJO/Y 58/ 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April '7, 1951 W ITTORN EAS Patented Feb. 23, 1954 NITED PATENT OFFICE LOG. LOADING .BOTOM Herschell RayiPearson, Everett, Wash.

: dApplicationApril'l, I951,Serial.N 0. 219,735

4 Claims. (019254- 184) .This invention relates to log "handling. cranes and "it has reference 'morefparticularly toi'improvements in mobile cranes designedfor the lifting and loading of yarded logs o'r'thelike, of large size, onto a car or truck; this "application being a continuation in part "of my pendingiapplication, Serial'No. "96,371, now abandoned. It being the principal object of the" invention to provide a log loading crane that .is characterized by use therewith'of a nOveLjIknee-typeboom including therein certain .cables and cablewinding drums, in a power multiplying ..combination. ,It is also an objectof myinvention to provide a loghandlingboom of novel design, 'thatimay be readily applied for useito .present day power shovels as a replacement for. the usual shovel boom, and which, as applied thereto maybe'operated and controlled for the handling of logs, by .the same cables, cable winding :drums and control devices asalready provided for ..the operation andcontrol of the shovel boom.

It is also an objectof myinvention toprovide a novel combination ofcable winding drums in the boom itself, throughiwhich a multiplication of .lifting- .power for the expeditious handling of extremely heavy logs, or loads is effected.

Astillfurther object. of theinventionlis to provide a boom .that maybe readily dismantled and disassembled to provide for easier transportation in moving the crane from place to place.

Further objects of the invention are to befound in the novel details of. construction of parts, and in their combination and. mode of use as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing theiabove mentioned and other objectsof the inventiomI have provided the. improved details .ofconstruction, the .preferredforms of whichare .illustratedin the accompanying. drawings, wherein- Rig. 1 is a side view of a. mobile vehicle, of power shovel type, equipped with .a..log. loading boom embodying the. improvementsalof' the present invention therein.

Fig. 2. is .a top. or plan,.v-iew.o. the same.

Fig. 3 isa cross-section..taken.onlline 3-'.3 injig. 1.

.Ffig. 4-is a fragmental view-showingithe mannerof disconnecting thearmportion of the boom from .thelegportion.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the crane, .illustrating theiutilizationof .a-spar treeani ly-Lline to.give supporttotheboom.

vRig. fiis-a sideelevationpf the same.

. .Fig. .7 is. an end view of.,parts s'hown.inll ig. 5. .Fig. .8 is .a..side. view of a log loadingvehicle showing. an alternative .drum .zarrangementi. and with a portion of theboom broken .awayforpurposesof better illustration.

Fig. .11s aplan 'viewofthe alternative'form' of dmm rmnsem t fig; flfisis a plan' view ofg-aridtherzailtemativ form olfirum'arrangement.

2 Referring more in detail to'thedra'wings- ."l'n ..designates, ingeneral, a vehicle'of power shovel type, comprising av frame structure1l, which is here shownto be equipped with crawlertypetreads-l2, but which might be equippedwith ordinary types of supporting Wheels. Supported upon the frame structure II for turntable action,

is a horizontal floor or platform 13, on one end of which the boom embodied by this invention, and designated in generalby reference character B, is hingedly mountedfor vertical swinging adjustment. .Alsosupported on the platform 13, at

- load from one position to another; as presently explained, and maybe held secure at. any 'set position; themechanism for effecting this .action not being herein shown .as it .forms .no ,p'artlo'f my invention.

Mounted .on ..the. platform .I3- are cable winding drums t5, It and l"!, which mightbe. arranged as indicated in Fig. 1 or in other suitable manher for the paying out or winding inoftheiindividual cables that, respectively, control the .raising and lowering of a log or load relative .to the boom, and for turning the slack winding drum. The drums are revolubly mounted in .aframe structure'ithat is designated by .referencenumer-al l8.

The means or devices fordriving. the various drums and for controlling them fordrawing-in or-paying .out the cables used thereon, isnot herein shown, but. it .is to be understoodthat these mechanisms .may be like. any ofthe .usual mechanisms provided .on powershovelsrforthis purpose, .orany other suitable. means.

.Theplatform [.3 preferably would comprisea heav-y andsubstantial casting, formedat one end,

in transverse alignment, with lugs or ears 211-420 to which the .lower end of the boom Bis hingedly attached, as presentlyexplained. .Theboomextends upwardly and away from the-vehicle, inthe longitudinal direction of the .base,. as notedin Figs. .1 .andf2, and it is. the .intent that its Weight as sustained .bythe platform, .be counterbalanced to..substantialextent .by the weight of the cab. the engineandthe various cablewindingandcontrol' means located therein.

The boom'B is an open truss form of structure, comprising. an. inner end portion which'I will refer to as the mounting leg, and an extended outer portion which I will refer'to as the boom arm; this latter-portion. b'eingfixed' at: an obtusea'ngle relative "to-theleg as shown best" in. Fig; -1. A

boom now in use has a mounting le'g'po'rtion sixteen feet long and an arm about twenty feet long. The inside angle formed by leg and arm is approximately 140 degrees, and in mounting the boom on the vehicle, the angle is faced downwardly as shown best in Fig. 6.

More specifically describing the construction of the boom: The mounting leg portion comprises opposite side frames 2525, in parallel, vertical planes and rigidly joined by cross beams and diagonal bracing. Each frame 25 comprises an upper and lower chord, and these are joined in upwardly diverging relationship by a plurality of struts or braces such as those at 26 in Fig. 1.

The extended arm portion of the boom, likewise, comprises opposite side frames 2.'-2'l joined in spaced relationship as shown in Fig. 2 by cross beams 28. Each of these opposite side frames comprises an upper chord 29 and a lower chord 30 (see Figs. 1 and 4) joined by struts or braces as at 3|, and the chords of each frame converge toward the outer end of the arm, with the upper chord extended somewhat beyond the lower chord.

At their inner ends, the top chords 29. are bolted, as at 32, to fish plates at the upper ends of the top chords of the leg portion of the boom. The lower chords 38 of these side frames extend across the upper ends of .the bottom chords of the leg portion and to the top chords, and are bolted thereto as at 34 and 35. By reason of the manner of connection, it is possible to easily and readily disconnect these parts of the boom for disassembly whenever such is desirable in order that long haul transportation may be made easier.

Within the angle-forming surfaces of the boom, the leg and arm portions are covered with suitable plates or slats as at M and 4| for heeling the logs while being lifted and swung to unloading position. These plates or slats extend along their respective sections of the boom to substantial distances as has been illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 6.

The boom is adiustably supported in operative position by means of a cable yoke 44 that is attached by means of hooks 45 at its ends to cars 46-46 that are fixed to the boom at the hip angle. This cable 44 extends over a wheel 48 in a pulley block 50, shown best in Fig. 2. Another cable 52 extends from the cable winding drum l over suitably arranged pulleys in a block 53 and about a pulley wheel 54 in block 50 and is dead ended in block 53. By the winding in and paying out of the cable 52 from this drum 15, the boom will be raised and lowered accordingly, and by locking the drum against rotation, the adjustment of the boom will be retained.

Mounted to rotate on a cross shaft 66 that is mounted in bearings 6! that are secured on the inner end portions of the lower chords 39 of the arm portion of the boom, is a large cable winding drum t5 and at opposite sides thereof and rotatable therewith are drums 55 and 61 as best shown in Fig. 3.

A cable 68 is secured to and wound on the drum 6B and extends therefrom to the outer end of the boom and there passes over a sheave wheel 69 mounted in a block is suspended from that end of the boom. At its end this cable is equipped with tongs H for the picking up of a log that is to be handled by the crane.

Another cable 72 is wound in on the large drum 65 and extends therefrom to the power driven drums I6. When this cable is wound onto drum l-B, it operates to rotate the large drum 65 insuch direction as to turn the drum 66 to wind the cable 68 thereonto, thus to lift the log held by tongs ll. Yet another cable i5, is wound on drum 61' and extends therefrom to the engine driven cable drum [1. The direction of winding is such that when the cable 75 is wound onto drum :7, it causes the drums 55 and 66 to be rotated in such direction as to pay out the tong cable from drum 6t. This is to give slack in cable 58.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated an alternative arrangement or positioning of the drums 55, 65 and 61. For the purpose of describing this arrangement, the same reference numerals will be used where applicable. In this construction, the drums 65 and 8b are coaxially mounted to rotate on the shaft 66 which shaft is mounted in the bearings Gl-BI, and the bearings are secured on the boom. Below and rearward of the shaft 50 and drums B5 and 66 and parallel to the shaft 60 is a shaft Gila which is mounted for rotation in the bearings tla-5la which bearings are also secured to the boom. The drum "5'5 is mounted for rotation on the shaft 890:. The simultaneous rotation of the shafts to and $30; is accomplished by means of the sprocket chain 62 which revolves about the alined sprocket wheels 233 and 6t. These sprockets being fixedly mounted on the shafts 60a and 68 respectively. With reference to the cables it is to be noted that the cables F58 and T5 are wound on their respective drums in the same direction whereas the cable Z2 is wound on drum 65 in a reverse direction so that when the cable '32 is unwound from drum 65, the cables 58 and it are wound onto drums 6t and 6?.

The load lifting cable '68 is wound on the drum lit and passes therefrom over the sheave Eli and at its outer end is equipped with tongs H. The cable 72 wound on drum 65, extends to the power drum E6 to provide means for rotating the drums and 5E. The cable '55, wound on the drum 5? extends therefrom to the engine driven drum ll. When the drum 55 is caused to be rotated by the unwinding of the cable E2, the drum 55 will rotate as will the shaft 6'3 and sprocket wheel 64.

. This in turn will cause the sprocket chain E2 to revolve thereby rotating in the same direction, the sprocket wheel 63, shaft 68a and drum 6'1. The rotation of the drum 56 will cause the cable 63 to be wound thereon, lifting the load held in the tongs l i.

For the unwinding or paying out of the cable 68, the cable '15 is unwound from the drum 6'1 by and onto the drum H and thereby rotating the sprockets 63 and M in reverse direction and permitting the cable 68 to bepaid out from the drum 66. This rotation winds the cable 12 onto drum 65.

In Fig. 10 I have illustrated another alternative drum arrangement wherein each drum is mounted on a separate shaft which are in parallel relationship. In this illustration, the load lifting drum is above and forward of the drum G5 and the drum 6'! is below and rearward of the drum 65. The drum E35 is mounted on a shaft and the shaft rotates in bearings 6 1-6 l. The drum 6'! is mounted on the shaft 60a and this shaft rotates in bearing Gla-Ela. The drum $6 is mounted onshaft 50b and is rotated in bearings 6lb6lb. For the functional rotation of the drum simultaneously, I employ sprocket chains 62 and 62a which interconnects the several drums. The sprocket chain 62 revolves about the sprocket wheels 63 and 64 which are mounted on the shafts 60c and 6!! respectively. The sprocket chain 52a revolves about the sprocket wheels 63a and 64a which are mounted on the shafts 60b and 60 respectively.

The various cables are wound upon their respective drums in the same direction as previously described and the drums are caused to rotate in the same manner. The unwinding of the cable 12 from the drum 65 will rotate the drums 66 and 61 and the cables 68 and 15 will be wound on the drums and the load will be lifted by the cable 68.

Except for changes or modifications described, the construction of the vehicle, boom and other parts is substantially the same and the mode or manner of operation is identical. The use of separate shafts and alternative drum arrangements permits the use of a narrower or smaller boom and by using sprockets of varying sizes, the speed and power factors may be altered.

In setting up the crane for an operation, it is sometimes desirable, especially if exceedingly heavy loads are to be lifted, to locate the crane in such position relative to the spar tree or other high support, that a cable can be drawn over the vehicle from said spar to serve as an anchor for a boom suspending member. In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have designated a spar tree at 80 and a tree or stump at 8|. The crane I0 is located between the tree and stump and a guy line or cable 82 is drawn taut from the tree to the stump, passing directly over the axis of the turntable. A cable 85 is attached at one end to the cable 82 directly above the turntable and at its other end is attached to the outer end of the boom, as in Fig. 6, as a support for the boom. With this arrangement of parts, the boom may swing freely but at all times will be supported through this cable connection, making it possible to lift greater loads without danger of tipping the vehicle.

To lift and move a log, the boom B after being properly elevated, would, by rotation of the turntable base, be extended over the log so that the tongs H could be easily applied thereto. Then, with the tongs applied, the cable winding drum I6 is energized and by reason of its cable 12 being wound thereon, the drum 65 will be rotated. Rotation of this relatively large drum causes cable 68 to be wound onto the smaller drum 66 and the log thereby lifted. By proper location of the tong in applying it to the log, a selected end of the latter may be caused to lift first, and this end can be caused to heel against the boom in the hip angle as shown in Fig. 1. Then by further winding in of the cable 68, the other end of the log will be lifted clear of the ground and to the desired elevation, for example as indicated in Fig. 1. Then the boom may be swung about the axis of the turntable to an unloading position, at which the log may be lowered onto a car or truck.

The handling of logs in this manner is especially advantageous where logs are to be loaded onto a car or truck since, in the heeling of the log against the boom as explained, it is retained in a definite position relative to the boom and it is therefore possible to lay it down in a definite manner.

The main advantages to be gained by the present boom design result in the arrangement of cable winding drums therein whereby the lifting power may be greatly increased; in the provision for rotating these drums to give slack in the tong cable; in the suspending of the boom from the spar tree guy line; and in the provision for ready disconnection and disassembly of the parts of the boom for easier transportation on long hauls.

Specific details of construction may be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A power multiplying mechanism comprising three cable winding drums, one of said drums being of relatively large diameter and the other two being of relatively small diameter, mean interconnecting the three drums to cause them to rotate in unison and each to change its direction of rotation with change in direction of either of the others, a load lifting cable wound on one of the drums of relatively small diameter and adapted to be paid out therefrom for connection with a load and to be wound thereonto to draw in the load, two selectively operable power driven drums, a cable wound on the drum of relatively large diameter and extended therefrom to the first of the said power driven drums for winding thereonto, this to effect the driving of the said three drums and the winding in of the load lifting cable onto its drum, and another cable wound on' the other drum of relatively small diameter and extended to the second of the said two power driven drums and adapted to be wound thereonto thus to cause driving of the said three cable winding drums in a direction reverse to that effected by the winding in of the cable on the first of said power driven drums.

2. A power multiplying mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein the said three cable winding drums are co-axial and are joined for rotation in unison.

3. A power multiplying mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein the said cable winding drum of larger diameter and the cable winding drum of smaller diameter that carries the cable that extends to the said first power driven drum are coaxially joined for rotation in unison, and the other of said cable Winding drums of smaller diameter is mounted independently of the coaxial cable winding drums, removed from and parallel thereto, and wherein the said means interconnecting the said three cable winding drums comprises a positive driving connection between the coaxially joined cable winding drums and the other cable winding drum.

4. A power multiplying mechanism as recited in claim 1 including a frame, three drum mounting shafts fixed in said frame in parallel relationship and mounting the said three cable winding drums thereon respectively, and wherein the said means interconnecting the three cable winding drums comprises sprocket wheels on the cable winding drums and sprocket chain belts operating about the sprocket wheels.

HERSCHELL RAY PEARSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 160,308 Crowthers et al Mar. 2, 1875 880,566 Paige Mar. 3, 1908 1,578,341 Miller Mar. 30, 1926 1,757,336 Ronk May 6, 1930 2,228,346 Downie Jan. 14, 1941 2,242,891 Light May 20, 1941 2,394,217 Tom Feb. 5, 1946 2,398,147 McKay Apr. 9, 1946 

